SEAL of Honor (38 page)

With the assistance of a Navy escort, the Murphy family, along with the family of Lieutenant Michael McGreevy, laid a wreath at the graves of Lieutenant Michael McGreevy, Petty Officer Second Class Jeffrey Lucas, and Petty Officer Second Class Jeffrey Taylor, then visited the graves of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chris Scherkenbach and Sergeant First Class Marcus Muralles, all buried in Section 60. The closeness of the Navy SEAL community made this event quite emotional.

At some point during the visit to Arlington, soldiers of the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry, traditionally known as “The Old Guard,” on duty there became aware of the Murphy family’s tour of the cemetery. The Old Guard is most widely known as the ever-vigilant sentinels of the Tomb of the Unknowns. Army officials approached Dan and Maureen and requested that they participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Honored and humbled by the request, the family agreed and were escorted to the Memorial Amphitheater, just above the Tomb of the Unknowns, by the Navy and Army honor guard units. They could see a large wreath resting on a tripod stand located on the far-left side of the Tomb of the Unknowns, where a lone sentinel maintained his post.

Descending the marble stairs with military precision, the Sergeant of the Guard made an announcement: “The ceremony you are about to witness is an Army wreath-laying ceremony to be conducted by Dan and Maureen Murphy in honor of their son, Navy Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005, and will be awarded this nation’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, by President George W. Bush tomorrow afternoon in a White House ceremony. It is requested that everyone remain silent and standing during the ceremony. All military personnel in uniform will render the hand
salute, and it is appropriate for all others to place your right hand over your heart upon the command of ‘Present arms.’ Thank you.”

Turning toward the Tomb, the sergeant saluted and made a military left turn and walked to the end of the plaza to retrieve the large wreath on a white tripod stand, while Dan and Maureen were escorted down the marble steps by both an Army and Navy honor guard. With perfect timing, the sergeant made the turn and faced the Murphys at the exact moment they arrived. Dan and Maureen placed their hands on the wreath as the sergeant backed up just in front of the Tomb of the Unknowns.

As the wreath was set into position, the order to present arms was given. The Murphys placed their right hands over their hearts as a single Army bugler echoed the somber notes of “Taps,” which released the raw emotions they had experienced two years earlier at Calverton National Cemetery when they buried their son, the newest recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the conclusion, they were escorted back to the Memorial Amphitheater and given a tour of the Old Guard’s quarters.

Later that evening they attended a social gathering at Sines, a local Irish pub. Also there were members of the Navy leadership, their families, Michael’s teammates, who had arrived from Hawaii to attend the ceremony, and Marcus Luttrell.

With nearly fifty friends and family involved in the visit to the Capitol Building, getting there from their hotel required a lot of coordination. The task was left to Steve Gilmore, who was working closely with Navy officials
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Three buses were utilized, and the visitors were divided into three groups, designated red, white, and blue. The blue group was made up of the immediate family, including Dan, Karen, Kristen, Maureen, John, Cathy, Colleen, Kelly, and Maureen’s parents, along with Steve and Kathy Gilmore and Marcus Luttrell. They received a private guided tour of the Capitol and met with Senator Charles Schumer and Representative Timothy Bishop of New York. The other two groups also received a guided tour of the Capitol, but as a single group. At around noon, the three buses loaded for the return trip to the hotel. After a quick lunch and an opportunity to freshen up, they loaded back aboard the buses for the trip to the White House.

Having provided both the Navy and the Secret Service with names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and other security-related information, access to the White House was much easier and quicker than both Dan and Maureen had expected. After entering the White House, the Navy aide to President Bush greeted
everyone and escorted them to the Blue Room, where refreshments had been provided. The Blue Room served as a gathering place before and after the Medal of Honor ceremony.

Dan, Maureen, Maureen’s parents, Steve and Kathy Gilmore, and Marcus Luttrell were then escorted to the Oval Office. After arriving at the outer office, Dan and Maureen were escorted into the Oval Office for a brief private meeting with President Bush.

As they entered the president greeted them at the door, extended his hand, and said, “Dan and Maureen, welcome to the White House. It is an honor to meet the parents of an American hero.” After exchanging pleasantries, the president made a few comments about Michael’s service to the country. Dan and Maureen presented President Bush with a gold-engraved dog tag with Michael’s birthday, the date of his Medal of Honor ceremony, and a portrait holograph on the reverse side. The president loosened his necktie and unbuttoned his light blue shirt and placed the dog tags around his neck, then rebuttoned his shirt and straightened his tie. He looked at the Murphys and said, “Dan, Maureen, despite how the press may play this, the loss of each and every one of my men affects me deeply. Sending America’s best and brightest into harm’s way and then having to sign letters to the parents of those brave men who have given their all for their country is the hardest thing I have ever had to do.” After a few more intimate moments, the members of the Murphy party who had waited in the outer office were escorted into the Oval Office. Upon seeing Luttrell, President Bush extended his hand and said, “Marcus, I want to show you something.” Going around his desk, he opened the middle drawer. “See, I still have the patch you gave me last year, and it is going in my Presidential Library, as will this dog tag.”

The president greeted everyone, shook their hands, and welcomed them to the White House. As he shook Maureen’s father’s hand, Frank said, with a tear in his eye, “I came to this country on a ship from Ireland many years ago. Who would have thought that an Irish immigrant would ever have the honor of meeting the President of the United States?” President Bush responded, “This country is made up of great people just like you. Immigrants have added so much to this country and have given us heroes like your grandson. Sir, this country owes you and your family a debt of gratitude that can never be paid. No sir, it is my honor to meet you.”

After about thirty minutes, the visitors were escorted to the East Room and prepared for the formal ceremony. Along with the three representatives of the New York fire department, members of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, and Captain Andrew Bisset, Michael’s Navy mentor, the Murphy party joined the other guests in the East Room of the White House. The Murphy family was escorted to seats in the front row just to the left of the platform. At exactly 2:24 PM President George Bush
was introduced and walked down the center aisle to the platform, turned, thanked everyone for coming, and invited all to be seated. After his opening remarks, the president invited Dan and Maureen to join him. As Dan and Maureen stepped onto the stage, the President moved beside Maureen, now in the center. When the military aide began reading the Medal of Honor citation, President Bush reached over and took Maureen’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. When Maureen looked up at him with her tear-filled eyes, he smiled.

After the presentation and following the extended applause, President Bush broke with protocol and invited both Dan and Maureen to walk with him as he exited the East Room. Once out into the red-carpeted Cross Hall, White House photographers snapped dozens of both posed and impromptu pictures. After several minutes, President Bush gave both Dan and Maureen a hug and told them that he would be unable to attend the reception in the Blue Room, but instructed them to have a good time and said that the White House staff would see to their needs. With that, the president walked back down the hallway, shadowed by Secret Service agents. As he reached the end of the hall, he turned and looked back, waved, and then disappeared down the hallway.

Dan and Maureen joined the other guests in the Blue Room for an elegant reception that went for the next two hours. Dozens of photographs were taken with the Navy admirals in attendance, including Mike Mullen, Gary Roughead, Joseph Maguire and Joseph Kernan, as well as Navy Secretary Winter and Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England. At the conclusion of the reception, the guests were escorted out of the White House to reboard their buses for the return trip to the hotel.

For Dan, Maureen, and her parents, the arrival back at the hotel provided but a brief opportunity to relax and freshen up, as they were the expected dinner guests of Admiral and Mrs. Gary Roughead at their home in the Washington Navy Yard. Admiral Roughead had just been confirmed as the Navy’s thirty-first chief of naval operations on September 29, 2007. Both Admiral and Mrs. Roughead greeted the family on the front porch as they arrived. The Murphys signed the register as the first guests of the new CNO and his family. After a relaxing evening, Dan, Maureen, and her parents returned to their hotel for a welcome night’s rest.

Arriving at the Pentagon just after 8:30 AM, the three buses carrying the Murphy family and their friends were again divided up into their red, white, and blue groups. The blue group remained the same—Dan and Maureen, John, Maureen’s parents, Karen, Kristen, Cathy, Colleen, Kelly, the Gilmores, and Marcus Luttrell. Navy personnel provided them with a detailed briefing of the morning’s agenda and an escorted tour of the Pentagon, the largest single office building in the world. Located in the Pentagon is an entire section dedicated to the elite warriors whose service and sacrifice placed them in a league of their own. Known as the Hall of Heroes
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it enshrines the extraordinary feats of ordinary men that have inspired many generations. Following their tour, the blue group met privately with Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, Secretary of the Navy Winter, and Admiral Roughead. This was the first of two emotional events planned for the day. The second would be the evening Medal of Honor Flag ceremony at the Navy Memorial.

On October 23, 2007, at 11:00 AM, Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy took his place among the honored elite. Following the presentation of the American flag by a Navy color guard, Rear Admiral Gary Burt, the Navy’s chief chaplain, opened the ceremony with the invocation, followed by Petty Officer First Class Michael Bolinki’s powerful rendition of the national anthem.

The first speaker, Admiral Gary Roughead, who has more than thirty years of active duty experience, serves as the principal naval adviser to the president, the secretary of defense, and the secretary of the navy. A man of imposing presence, he is the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Although an accomplished speaker, he admittedly was somewhat uncomfortable speaking at such solemn and highly emotional commemorations such as that marking the tragic loss of Lieutenant Michael Murphy, one of the Navy’s best and brightest, and this nation’s most selfless and courageous.

Following his introduction by Secretary Winter, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England walked to the podium. Prior to being tapped for his position, he served two terms as the secretary of the navy, becoming the first service branch secretary to be reappointed to the position. A white-haired gentleman with a soft voice, he spoke at length from notes but made no prepared remarks about Michael’s character, service, and sacrifice, which resulted in his receiving the Medal of Honor.

As the family requested, the Medal of Honor Flag was presented to them at the Navy Memorial. At 6:00 PM, following the invocation by Commander Robert Coyle, James McEachin, Dan’s longtime friend and fellow MOPH member, was introduced. McEachin, a decorated Korean War veteran, became a Hollywood actor, an author, and a noted public speaker, as well as a staunch advocate for the plight of our veterans. He presented his award-winning tribute to America’s veterans. Concluding the ceremonies, Dan spoke for the Murphy family, and after presenting gifts from the family to Marcus Luttrell, Admiral Roughead, and Steve Gilmore, he invited everyone in attendance to the reception that followed

The Medal of Honor Flag, a light-colored flag with white stars adapted from the Medal of Honor ribbon, commemorates the sacrifices and blood shed to defend our freedoms and gives emphasis to the Medal of Honor being the highest award for valor by an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. On October 17, 2006, a public law gave the secretary of defense the authority to award the Medal of Honor Flag to deceased Medal of Honor recipients.

Included on the Murphy family’s list of things they wanted to do was a trip to the Naval Academy to pay their respects at the grave of Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen. The morning following the Medal of Honor Flag ceremony, the family traveled to Annapolis, where they were met by Edward and Suzanne Kristensen, the parents of Lieutenant Commander Kristensen. Admiral Kristensen, a former superintendent at the Academy, gave them an extended tour of the campus, including the famous chapel, site of their own son’s funeral service. The tour ended in the Academy’s cemetery at the grave of Erik Kristensen. Following the emotional tour, the Murphy family caught a late afternoon flight back to Long Island.